Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kauã Santos produced an inspired performance as the German side held Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night, April 10th. Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was left lamenting the “football gods” after his side dominated large periods but failed to secure a lead.
Frankfurt took a surprise lead inside six minutes. After James Maddison lost possession, Ellyes Skhiri played in Hugo Ekitiké, who cut inside and fired a superb low strike past Guglielmo Vicario.
Spurs responded well and equalized through Pedro Porro, who finished with an inventive backheel flick after being set up by Maddison.
The hosts pushed relentlessly for a winner after the interval but were repeatedly denied. Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur both struck the crossbar in quick succession, while Santos made excellent saves to deny curling efforts from Son Heung-min and Maddison. The Brazilian goalkeeper, deputizing for the injured Kevin Trapp, capped his display with a stunning fingertip save from Micky van de Ven’s bouncing header deep into stoppage time.
“I’m resigned to the fact that the football gods have got their eyes elsewhere this year,” Postecoglou commented afterwards. “They’re obviously busy with other clubs and other managers, so whatever we get we’re going to have to do it without them this year… Nothing is going to come to us easy. We’re going to have to go there and fight now to get what I felt we deserved tonight.”
The Europa League represents Tottenham’s last chance for silverware this season, with the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and out of domestic cups. Winning the competition also offers a route into next season’s Champions League.
The draw leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the second leg at Frankfurt’s Waldstadion on Thursday, April 17th. Postecoglou, who referenced pre-match comments about his future potentially hinging on this competition, faces a challenging trip to Germany as Spurs seek to reach the semi-finals.
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